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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stock — shares
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. sharp — clever
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — goods
  11. branch — a division
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. present — the time now
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitch — completely
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. present — a gift
  22. degree — an amount
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com